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Bead of the Week

Just perfect for your Halloween creations -- these Red Agate Evil Eye beads are of stone that was formed from layers of silica from volcanic cavities. Agate is named after the Achates River (now known as the Dirillo River) on the island of Sicily, Italy, whose upper waters were an ancient source of this gemstone. Each strand offered here has 16 round faceted beads, with colors ranging from red to amber, as shown. Each bead is approx. 10 mm. with an approx. 2 mm. hole. Each strand is $10, but for a limited time, take 10% off with the code HALLOWEEN at checkout.

Amazons & Amazonite

At the Tucson gem show this year, we saw some fine faceted Amazonite that was every bit as beautiful as Peruvian Opal -- and I don't say that lightly, as Peru Opal is my all-time favorite. For those of you who may not know about Amazonite, it's a gem variety of feldspar, and has a lustrous reflection known as iridescence.

It is found in the United States, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Russia, Australia, Namibia. The color is usually light green to blue-green, or mottled, and sometimes contains light striations.

The stone has a great backstory; some say it has its name because it was found in the Amazon River -- another says it is named for Amazon women warriors. Some archeological evidence suggests that the Amazonians were a matriarchal society during the Bronze Age. If this theory intrigues you as it does me, you can read more about it here.

Mystics say the stone enhances creative expression, courage, and improves the feeling of self-worth. Amazonite is considered a soothing stone that offers confidence and works on the throat chakra. It is called the "hope stone" because it inspires confidence and hope. One source says it is useful to activate lazy teenagers. (HA!)

We do know for sure that it was used extensively by the Egyptians. You can read more about that here.

I'm always thrilled to see a beautiful creation incorporating Amazonite. I've selected three to feature here -- from top to bottom, designs from our Etsy colleagues and friends: